Putting Produced Water to Beneficial Reuse

WestSide Corporation’s Water Conveyance and Treatment System

July 12, 2012

WestSide Corporation Limited is a coal seam gas (CSG) producer with certified reserves and a diversified portfolio of exploration assets in Queensland, Australia. Adhering to new regulations that require all water produced during gas extraction be put to beneficial reuse, WestSide intends to construct and operate a water trunk line system for its Meridian seam gas production wells in Central Queensland. The new system will collect water from each well field and convey it to a single location for treatment and beneficial use, such as irrigation.

CDM Smith assessed the feasibility of injecting the produced water to local aquifers as a beneficial groundwater recharge, and recommended conveyance system design options. A 30-kilometer-long, 110-mm-diameter trunk water main, fed by a tank farm and pump station at each well field, best met both client and regulatory requirements.

Subsequently, CDM Smith prepared the design and tender documentation for the pipelines and pump stations. The project team successfully produced the design within a constrained timeframe, delivering the project at the lowest minimal capital cost given the limited financial return from the management and disposal of produced water. Leveraging our small-bore water collection and conveyance system capability in the oil and gas market, CDM Smith is helping WestSide, one of the smaller Queensland CSG companies, achieve a high standard of water management practices with the least cost of infrastructure planning.